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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Taliban Chief: US Offers to End Afghan War 'Neither Rational Nor Practical' VOA 18 Aug 2018 -- The fugitive Taliban leader renewed his call Saturday for direct talks with the United States, dismissing as impractical and unacceptable "propositions" he asserted Washington has offered to promote a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan.
• Pakistan rejects reports of Ghazni attackers' medical treatment IRNA 18 Aug 2018 -- Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson has strongly rejected reports alleging that some Taliban fighters involved in Afghanistan's Ghazni attack were offered medical treatment in Pakistani hospitals.
• Afghan Taliban Repeats Call For Direct Talks With United States RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada has repeated his call for direct talks with the United States to end what he said was the foreign "occupation" of Afghanistan.
• Surge in Taliban Attacks Keeps US, Afghan Guessing on Peace Talks VOA 18 Aug 2018 -- Taliban insurgents unleashed a fresh wave of attacks across Afghanistan this week, overrunning at least two Afghan military bases and launching a sustained attack on a key city, in a multifront show of strength that left hundreds dead and threatened to upend recently begun peace talks with Washington.

Defense Policy / Programs

• UK Navy Vows to Protect New Aircraft Carrier From "Frightening" Russians Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- The 71,650-ton Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is the biggest warship ever to be built in Britain, and has been undergoing sea trials since setting sail from Scotland's Rosyth dockyard in June 2017.
• HMS Queen Elizabeth sets off for F-35B fighter jet trials UK MOD 18 Aug 2018 -- Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, departs her home port of Portsmouth today, bound for the USA to land fast jets on deck for the very first time.
• Beijing slams Pentagon report alleging Chinese drills to strike US, allies Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- China's defense ministry has lodged a complaint with the US, slamming as "pure guesswork" a Pentagon report that claimed the Chinese military was likely preparing for strikes against the United States and its allies.
• Army, IRGC aviations defending the country together: Cmdr IRNA 18 Aug 2018 -- The two aviation forces of the Islamic Republic Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Army as two rapid reaction forces are all ready and play important roles in defending the Islamic Establishment anywhere in the region, the commander of the Army Aviation told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Saturday.
• Iran to unveil Bavar 373 missile system in spring 2019 ISNA 18 Aug 2018 -- Iranian deputy Defense Minister for International Affairs announced that Iran will unveil a domestic version of the Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile system, dubbed Bavar 373, by the end of the current Iranian year, meaning by March 20, 2019.
• Iran destroyer fitted with 'close-in weapon system' Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- For the first time, an Iranian destroyer has been equipped with an indigenously-produced version of Phalanx, a close-in weapon system (CIWS), which is used to engage targets at close range.
• Iran Defense Chief Vows Continued Missile Efforts, New Fighter Jet RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- Iran's defense minister says the country will continue to focus efforts on developing missile capabilities and will next week unveil a new fighter jet amid U.S. efforts to curb Tehran's weapons programs and regional influence.
• Iran to Unveil New Fighter Jet, Missile Development Stays Top Priority - Report Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- Tehran will unveil a new fighter jet next week, while the development of the nation's missile capacity will remain Iran's top military priority, Brigadier General Amir Hatami said, cited by Fars news agency on Saturday.
• Iranian Naval Destroyer Reportedly Gets 1st Locally-Made Ship-to-Air Missiles Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- The destroyer of the Iranian Navy was first equipped with a domestically-made ship-to-air missile system designed to combat anti-ship missiles, Tasnim reported Saturday.
• President Duterte says US hampers modernization of Philippines military Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lambasted the close ally United States for trying to hamper the modernization of his country's army and for warning Manila against purchasing Russian submarines.
• 'Who Are You to Warn Us?' Duterte Rebukes US Advice Not to Buy Russian Subs Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- During a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in early August, Philippine Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano pledged that Manila would not turn down the opportunity to purchase Russian military equipment even in the face of possible US sanctions.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni forces target Saudi base in Najran region with ballistic missile Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- Yemeni army troops, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have fired a domestically-manufactured ballistic missile at a military base in Saudi Arabia's southern border region of Najran in retaliation for the Riyadh regime's devastating military campaign against their impoverished country.
• PM: Syria on road to achieving final victory over terrorism IRNA 18 Aug 2018 -- Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis said Syria is moving with confidence to the final victory over terrorism and the restoration of security all across the country.
• UN chief proposes military force to protect Palestinians under Israeli occupation Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has put forward options meant to protect Palestinian civilians, among them the deployment of an armed military or police force to the occupied territories.
• US sanctions Myanmar military over Rohingya 'ethnic cleansing' Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- The United States has imposed sanctions against four Myanmar military and police commanders and two army units responsible for the atrocities against minority Rohingya Muslims in the Buddhist-majority country.

News Reports

• Trump Targets Official Linked To Russia Probe For Punitive Action RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump says he is considering moving "very quickly" to revoke the security clearance of a Justice Department official who had connections with a firm that produced a controversial dossier on Trump's ties to Russia.
• Former UN Chief Kofi Annan Dead At 80 RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has died at the age of 80 of an unspecified illness.
• UN mourns death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 'a guiding force for good' UN News 18 Aug 2018 -- The United Nations is mourning the death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who passed away peacefully after a short illness, according to a statement published on his official Twitter account on Saturday. The renowned Ghanaian diplomat was 80 years old.
• Former UN Leader Kofi Annan Dead at 80 VOA 18 Aug 2018 -- Kofi Annan, the former secretary-general of the United Nations has died. He was 80 years old.
• Accused Russian Agent Seeks To Raise Funds Online For Legal Defense RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- A Russian woman who has been charged in Washington with acting as an unregistered agent for the Russian government has launched an online fundraising campaign to pay for her legal defense.
• DPRK-U.S. Ties Can Never Become Victim of Political Scramble in U.S. KCNA 18 Aug 2018 -- Handshakes of the top leaders of the DPRK and the U.S. are the greatest event in the present century declaring an end of the most longstanding and acute cold war on this planet.
• Chinese president to pay formal visit to N Korea in Sept.: Report Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly planning to visit North Korea in September at the invitation of the country's leader Kim Jong-un to take part in the 70th anniversary of the North's founding.
• China President State Visit to DPRK Planned for September - Reports Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Pyongyang next month as relations between China and North Korea continue to improve, Singapore-based The Straits Times reported Saturday.
• Chinese FM Says Beijing Ready to Boost Ties With Iran Amid US Sanctions Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- China is ready to develop further cooperation with Iran and condemns the use of unilateral sanctions in international relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday during a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif.
• President Tsai thanks U.S. for transit arrangements CNA 18 Aug 2018 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is at the final stop of her nine-day overseas trip, said on Friday that she was grateful to the United States for arranging her stopovers in two U.S. cities.
• China never renounced use of force against Taiwan: MAC CNA 18 Aug 2018 -- China has never renounced the use of force against Taiwan, which is a "fact" rather than an "assumption," Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Saturday.
• Belarusian President Names New Premier, Reshuffles Government RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has appointed a new prime minister and carried out a significant reshuffling of the government.
• Imran Khan sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan IRNA 18 Aug 2018 -- Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Saturday took oath as 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan.
• Former cricketer Imran Khan sworn in as Pakistan's PM Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- Pakistan's former cricket star Imran Khan has been sworn in as the country's new prime minister.
• Khan Unveils Key Ministers After Taking Pakistani Premier's Office RFE/RL 18 Aug 2018 -- Former cricket star Imran Khan has announced his key cabinet picks after he was sworn in as Pakistan's prime minister following his party's controversial election victory last month.
• Financial Task Force Monitor Pakistan's Progress on Anti-Terror Financing VOA 18 Aug 2018 -- A delegation from the global financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has held meetings with Pakistani authorities to review the country's measures against money laundering and terror financing.
• US launching 'attempted economic coup' against Ankara: Erdogan Press TV 18 Aug 2018 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country will not "surrender" to the United States under the sanctions imposed by the US over the detention of an American pastor, accusing Washington of launching an "attempted economic coup" against Ankara.
• Erdogan Re-Elected as Chairman of Turkey's Ruling Justice and Development Party Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected as chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at its congress in Ankara, the results of the vote showed on Saturday.
• Erdogan: Turkey to Continue Counterterror Operations in Syria, Iraq Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- The Turkish troops will proceed with counterterrorism operations in Syrian and Iraqi regions bordering Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.
• 'We Won't Surrender': Erdogan Accuses US of Plotting 'Economic Coup' in Turkey Sputnik 18 Aug 2018 -- Earlier, the Turkish President warned of far-reaching consequences in the event the United States continues to disrespect Ankara's sovereignty amid the ongoing deterioration in bilateral relations.